Boxcars711 Old Time Radio

Hancock's Half-Hour is the yardstick against which all subsequent British sitcoms have been measured, the vast majority failing to size up to its extremely high standards. Based on his famous radio show of the same name, the TV run consolidated Tony Hancock's standing as Britain's leading comic of the day, the entertainer providing ample proof that his wonderfully flexible face could be as expressive as his dextrous radio voice. Tony Hancock was at the height of his powers during the late 1950s, squeezing every comic ounce out of his lines, pulling off perfectly judged pauses and demonstrating a sense of timing to match the great Jack Benny's. His character - Anthony Aloysius St John Hancock - was invariably a loser, whose aspirations and plans were dashed by fate, circumstance, Sid James or, more often than not, his own pomposity or unfettered ambition.

The BBC presents "Guilty Party". A problem in Crime detection in which you are invited to match your wits with a panel of experts - John Arlott, F.R. Buckley and Robert Fabian. So began a typical episode of the long running panel show. It was devised by Tony Shryane and Edward J. Mason. The scripts were written by Mason and the series produced by Shryane. The shows started with a dramatised crime play, the panel then decided on a line of investigation and cross examined the suspects, who gave unscripted answers to their questions. This cross examination should then lead the panel to the Guilty Party! From the Second series, two regular characters were featured in the dramatisations. Private detective Joe McCready (Jon Farrell) and Police Inspector Galloway (Hamilton Dyce).

Gang Busters was an American dramatic radio program heralded as "the only national program that brings you authentic police case histories." It premiered as G-Men, sponsored by Chevrolet, on July 20, 1935. After the title was changed to Gang Busters January 15, 1936, the show had a 21-year run through November 20, 1957. Beginning with a barrage of loud sound effects â guns firing and tires squealing â this intrusive introduction led to the popular catch phrase "came on like Gang Busters."The series dramatized FBI cases, which producer-director Phillips H. Lord arranged in close association with Bureau director J. Edgar Hoover. Hoover insisted that only closed cases would be used. The initial series was on NBC Radio from July 20 - October 12, 1935. It then aired on CBS from January 15, 1936 to June 15, 1940, sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive and Cue magazine. From October 11, 1940 to December 25, 1948, it was heard on the Blue Network, with various sponsors that included Sloan's Liniment, Waterman pens and Tide. Returning to CBS on January 8, 1949, it ran until June 25, 1955, sponsored by Grape-Nuts and Wrigley's chewing gum. The final series was on the Mutual Broadcasting System from October 5, 1955 to November 27, 1957. It was once narrated by Norman Schwarzkopf, Sr., former head of the New Jersey State Police. The radio series was adapted for DC Comics, Big Little Books and a 1942 movie serial. The 1952 Gang Busters TV series was reedited into two feature films, Gang Busters (1954) and Guns Don't Argue (1957).

This 1958 BBC production from the Journey Into Space series takes us on a wild 12-part adventure to the moon. Captain "Jet" Morgan, Stephen "Mitch" Mitchell, Doc Matthews , and Lemmy Barnet are the first astronauts to reach the moon, and what they find there is truly astonishing! Airing weekly beginning March 26, 1958, the show featured Andrew Faulds, David Williams, Guy Kingsley Pointer, and Alfie Bass.

Thus with the pounding of the gavel, the fate of men and women have been decided by the judge. This is the story of our legal rights, the battle to preserve and protect them, and how easily they can be lost. The program shows us just how fragile liberty and justice can be. These stories of everyday events are still interesting, even after 50 years. Stories of criminal liability, legal wills, buying on installment, and leasing an apartment. Each story is well written, and the acting, though dated and a bit hokey by todayâs standards, still manages to achieve the desired effect. Not much information is available for this series, it was apparently broadcast on a limited basis, and originated on WMAQ Chicago, an NBC station. It was comprised of thirteen episodes, twelve of which are currently available, and was heard from January 30, 1954 through April 24, 1954.

BOXCARS711 CHRISTMAS SHOWFibber McGee and Molly. December 23, 1952. NBC network. Sponsored by: Reynolds Aluminum. Fibber and his friends are planning a surprise Christmas party for Doc Gamble. "Teeny" sings, "Twas The Night Before Christmas" with The King's Men. Unedited tape or rehearsal. The recording ends after the song, there is no program closing. Arthur Q. Bryan, Bill Thompson, Billy Mills and His Orchestra, Harlow Wilcox, Jim Jordan, Keith Fowler (writer), Marian Jordan, Max Hutto (director), Phil Leslie (writer), Richard LeGrand, The King's Men. 29:41.

Episodes5 (Once To Every Boy) and Episode6 (Cupid Without Wings) 1932Dramatic Serial (1932)The Family Doctor was a story about Dr. Grant Adams, a small town doctor who doubled as the communityâs moral rectifier. He was more than just respected, he was loved by all. Each week he confronted issues from robbery to suicide, and always with common sense and gentle moral judgment. Though his old-fashioned remedies for sicknesses are outdated compared to modern medical practicing, The Family Doctor's attitude towards life's daily issues transcend time. Of the 39 intended episodes, only 12 were aired.Boxcars711 supports the efforts of the Old Time Radio Researchers Group (OTRR) whose goals include restoring, preserving and sharing the classic shows from what is commonly known as the "Golden Age of Radio" (1930-1960). Please visit and support this great organization at:http://www.otrr.org/

The City. June 28, 1947. CBS network. "Airport". Sustaining. "An impression for radio." "A cross section of the thousands of stories and dramas that are enacted daily in the city." Anne Morrison, Dave Vaille (? director), Earl Lee, Frank Burt (writer), Rita Lynn, Robert Libbott (writer), Sandy Becker, Wilbur Hatch (music), Norman Macdonnell (producer, director), Frank Goss (announcer), Gil Warren, Herb Butterfield, Leonore Kingston, Monty Margetts. 24:39.

Police Melodrama1-19-47 thru 3-7-57 . Mutual network. Many weekly timeslots. Presented in cooperation with Official Detective Stories Magazine. CAST: Craig McDonnell as Detective Lt. Dan Britt. Tommy Evans as Sgt. Al Bowen. Directed by Wynn Wright.

For the 1970âs late-night horror show, The Price of Fear, the BBC dramatized the most chilling stories they could find, drawing on talented new writers as well as the established master of terror who narrated tale, re-written as though Price actually experienced each chilling adventure himself. The show was enormously successful in the UK and abroad, and a number of series were made during 1973, 1975 and 1982.

Crime Classics. June 30, 1954. CBS net origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "Good Evening, My Name Is Jack The Ripper". The story of the activities of the famed British slasher, as seen through the eyes of a young lass. The last show of the series. AFRTS program name: "Mystery Theatre." The AFRTS version omits the opening scene. AFRTS broadcast date: November 11, 1973. See cat. #73753 for an AFRTS version, not in the "Mystery Theatre" format that is a more complete version of this broadcast. Lou Merrill (host), Morton Fine (writer), David Friedkin (writer), Elliott Lewis (producer, director), Bernard Herrmann (composer, conductor), Betty Harford, B. J. Thompson, Irene Tedrow, Ben Wright, Paula Winslowe, James McCallion, Richard Peel, Roy Rowan (announcer). 25 minutes.

The unmistakable voice of Bud Flanagan singing 'Who Do You Think You Are Kidding, Mr Hitler?', a cod-Second World War propaganda singalong written especially for the show (by Jimmy Perry), introduced Dad's Army, the zenith of the British broad-comedy ensemble sitcom. Consistently good writing and a wonderful cast of old timers and newer talents combined to produce a whimsical period-piece that continues, justifiably, to be savoured and has now assumed a place in the 'hall of greats' pantheon, adored by new generations of the British public.

That eminent criminologist, Dr. Morelle, has just solved another crime and incidentally administered a crushing rebuke to his pretty secretary Miss Frayle. This is his usual reaction to his somewhat scatterbrained amanuensis, but it does not seem to have put the smallest dent in her devotion to the psychiatrist whose infallibility is the despair of criminals and the delight of his friend Inspector Hood of Scotland Yard. Dr. Morelle has had some time to form these theories, having started his career as a sleuth in the early years of the war. "He was dreamed up in a coal cellar in Bristol, said his creator Ernest Dudley. It was 1940, and the coal cellar underneath my flat provided a comforting place during the Luftwaffeâs attacks on Bristol, where I was with the BBC Variety Department. I wrote the original series called Meet Dr. Morelle for Harry Pepper and Ronnie Waldmanâs famous show, Monday Night at Eight. I was briefed to get right away from the Scotland Yard detective idea; and also to provide a comedy role in the series for Jane Grahame, who had made a success in several radio shows. Since Miss Grahame was in private life my wife, I was quite happy about this."

The Clitheroe Kid was James Robertson Clitheroe, Jimmy Clitheroe to most, who by some strange coincidence did come from the town of that name without having to change his family name! At his full height he was 4ft 3in, and played the naughty schoolboy from 1958 to 1972. Although plausable from a distance, he was not really able to pass himself off as a youngster close up, so a TV career did not really take off too well, but at the peak of his fame the radio show was raking in about 10 million listeners, although by the end this had dropped to a tenth of that figure. Clitheroe was a very private person, and the shows became a sort of escape for him, as well as the release from the worries of his diminutive size, but despite this, his popularity increased and increased, making this series one of the longer running on the radio - a total of 17 series. It is surprising then that with such a success, and with such a long run that the shows are rarely broadcast. The humour was very obvious and probably wouldn't stand up in todays climes, but there has been one release from the BBC radio collection, so if you wanted to hear some of the shows, you can hunt this down in the shops.

ROCKY JORDAN was the title character of one of the better and more exotic radio detective series. In fact, it's one of the best detective series I have ever heard. The series had two separate incarnations. The first, A Man Named Jordan, started as a daily 15 minute show and after about six months changed to a weekly 30 minute show. It took place in Istanbul and the Cafe was described as "a small restaurant in a narrow street off Istanbul's Grand Bazaar, permeated with by the smoke of Oriental tobacco, alive with the babble of many tongues, and packed with intrigue." The second incarnation, Rocky Jordan, was a weekly 30 minute series took place in Cairo - "the gateway to the ancient East where adventure and intrigue unfold against the backdrop of antiquity." Jordan was a hard-boiled owner of the Cafe Tambourine who spent most of his time solving mysteries that he usually became involved in by accident. During the Cairo-based run, he often encountered Captain Sam Sabaaya of the Cairo police. John Dunning in his "On The Air: The Encyclopedia of Old Time Radio" describes Jordan as "a rugged hero who each week was confronted by a crime, a mystery, a beautiful woman or a combination of the three. It was a detective show with a difference: the Oriental background was played to the hilt, giving it a sound like no other." The writers worked hard to give it authenticity - actual places and streets in Cairo were often and accurately mentioned. The music score also added to the exoticness of the series. Moyles, a veteran of radio, was much more believable in the role than Raft.

he Great Gildersleeve (1941-1957), initially written by Leonard L. Levinson, was arguably the first spin-off program in broadcast history. Built around a character who had been a staple on the classic radio situation comedy Fibber McGee and Molly, The Great Gildersleeve enjoyed its greatest success in the 1940s. Actor Harold Peary played the character during its transition from the parent show into the spin-off and later in a quartet of feature films released at the height of the show's popularity. On Fibber McGee and Molly, Peary's Gildersleeve was a pompous windbag who became a consistent McGee nemesis ("You're a haa-aa-aa-aard man, McGee!" became a Gildersleeve catch phrase). But he also became a popular enough windbag that Kraft Foods â looking primarily to promote its Parkay margarine spread â sponsored a new series with Peary's Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve (the character was given several conflicting first names on Fibber McGee and Molly, and on one episode of that show revealed his middle name as Philharmonic) as the central, slightly softened, and slightly befuddled focus of a lively new family.

From 01/09/49 to 09/28/51 this series was greatly enjoyed by the radio listening audience. It opened as NBC Theater and was also known as The Screen Directorâs Guild and The Screen Directorâs Assignment. But most people remember it simply as Screen Directorâs Playhouse. Many of the Hollywood elite were heard recreating their screen roles over the radio. John Wayne in his rare radio appearances, Cary Grant, Edward G. Robinson, Lucille Ball, Claire Trevor, Tallulah Bankhead and many others were on the air week after week during these broadcasts. Many of Hollywoodâs directors were also heard in the recreation of their movies. The President of the Screen Directorâs Guild appeared on 02/13/49, and Violinist Isaac Stern supplied the music for the 04/19/51 broadcast. THIS EPISODE:June 5, 1949. NBC network. "The Killers". Sustaining. Screen director Robert Siodmak appears. After a $200,000 robbery, a gangster just out of jail double crosses the gang and is double crossed in turn. Burt Lancaster, Dan Riss, Frank Barton (announcer), Frank Gerstle, Gwen Delano, Milton Geiger (adaptor), Robert Siodmak (guest screen director), Sam Edwards, Shelley Winters, Tony Barrett, William Conrad. 29:35.

Our Miss Brooks, an American situation comedy, began as a radio hit in 1948 and migrated to television in 1952, becoming one of the earlier hits of the so-called Golden Age of Television, and making a star out of Eve Arden (1908-1990) as comely, wisecracking, but humane high school English teacher Connie Brooks. The show hooked around Connie's daily relationships with Madison High School students, colleagues, and pompous principal Osgood Conklin (Gale Gordon), not to mention favourite student Walter Denton (future television and Rambo co-star Richard Crenna, who fashioned a higher-pitched voice to play the role) and biology teacher Philip Boynton ( Jeff Chandler), the latter Connie's all-but-unrequited love interest, who saw science everywhere and little else anywhere.

British Science Fictions presents The Closed Planet 10/24/1962 A crippled starship is compelled to make landfall on a remote colony world, where the locals refuse to allow the crew to disembark except under the strictest control. What terrible secret are they hiding?

Amos 'n' Andy, still written entirely by the two stars, was the top-rated program of all in 1930, with a 54.4 rating and 30 million listeners (compare that to the Super Bowl's 44.2 rating in 2004). By this time, the wily, coniving Kingfish was becoming a major personality, eventually supplanting sensible Amos as star of the show (Freeman Gosden gave voice to both characters while Charles Correll played Andrew H. Brown).

Bob Bailey played George Valentine as a detective handy man, who got his jobs from responses to a newspaper ad. Part-time detective and writer Dan Holiday in Box 13 also used the premise. It pays to advertise! The shows follow the usual formats of crime caper shows, with toughs, mysterious rendezvous and people who aren't who they say they are. Network was Mutual, Sponson was Standard Oil. STARS:Bob Bailey,Eddie Firestone jr, Francis Robinson, Joe Kearn PRODUCER:Owen Vinson WRITER: Polly Hopkins MUSIC: Eddie DunstedterTHIS EPISODE:March 27, 1950. Mutual-Don Lee Network. "The Tears Of Sorrow". Sponsored by: Standard Oil. A motel/restaurant in the desert is run by an angry cook and his wife, who has a wandering eye. A traveling salesman and a corpse in a silver coffin named Charley George Washington add to the fun. Bob Bailey, Virginia Gregg, Don Clark (director), Eddie Dunstedter (composer, presenter), Bud Hiestand (announcer), David Victor (writer), Jackson Gillis (writer), Alan Reed, Louise Arthur, Lawrence Dobkin, Walter Burke, Bill Bouchey. 29:37.

FIRST BROADCAST: June 8th 1947 LAST BROADCAST: June 25th 1949 NARRATORS: Ernest Chappell, Jim Boles, Cathleen Cordell, Dan Sutter, Cecil Roy, Bruno Wick, Peggy Stanley, Claudia Morgan PRODUCER/WRITER/DIRECTOR: Wyllis Cooper SOUND EFFECTS: Bill McClintock THEME: Second Movement of Franckâs Symphony in D Minor MUSIC: Albert Berman Quiet Please â 1947-1949 Wyllis Cooper, the creator of Lights Out, wrote and directed this thriller series. The program was similar but not so graphic and the sound effects not quite so disturbing. These were not tales of people living happily ever after. Ernest Chappell told the tales and each week he played some âordinary fellow who gets all bollixed up with the supernatural.âTHIS EPISODE:January 12, 1948. Mutual network. "The Room Where The Ghosts Lived". Sustaining. A dying man tells a ghost story to his doctor. He tells how he released the spirit of a woman dead one hundred and seventy five years, from a secret room in his house. Albert April (sound effects), Claudia Morgan, Ernest Chappell, James Van Dyke, Wyllis Cooper (writer, director). 24:34.

One of the most popular radio shows in history debuted in August 1930 when "The Shadow" went on the air. "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!" The opening lines of the "Detective Story" program captivated listeners and are instantly recognizable even today. Originally the narrator of the series of macabre tales, the eerie voice known as The Shadow became so popular to listeners that "Detective Story" was soon renamed "The Shadow," and the narrator became the star of the old-time mystery radio series, which ran until 1954. A figure never seen, only heard, the Shadow was an invincible crime fighter. He possessed many gifts which enabled him to overcome any enemy. Besides his tremendous strength, he could defy gravity, speak any language, unravel any code, and become invisible with his famous ability to "cloud men's minds."

This show was based on the life of real treasury dept. gangbuster Eliot Ness, who had in fact played an important part in stopping the power of the notorious Al Capone in 1931 Chicago. The Ness autobiography served as the basis of a two-part semidocumentary dramatization of the Capone affair, presented on a 1959 Desilu Playhouse. It was a huge hit that turned into a regular series the next fall. It followed Ness and his small band of incorruptible agents (called the "Untouchables" by a Chicago newspaper) as they battled the worst people in organized crime. (Ness had in real life disbanded the Untouchables after cracking the Capone case, and had nothing to do with most of the cases dramatized on TV.) The Untouchables went after hoods like Bugs Moran, in whose garage the St. Valentine's Day Massacre took place.

Perry Mason is the longest running lawyer show in American television history. Its original run lasted nine years and its success in both syndication and made-for-television movies confirm its impressive stamina. Mason's fans include lawyers and judges who were influenced by this series to enter their profession. The Mason character was created by mystery writer Erle Stanley Gardner and delivered his first brief in the novel The Case of the Velvet Claws (1933). From 1934 to 1937 Warners produced six films featuring Mason. A radio series also based on Mason ran every weekday afternoon on CBS radio from 1944 to 1955 as a detective/soap opera. When the CBS television series was developed as an evening drama, the radio series was changed from Perry Mason to The Edge of Night and the cast renamed so as not to compete against the television series.

Let us journey âinto the land that lies beyond midnight,â into a world of ghost hunters, men going mad, and DEATH DEATH DEATH! Written by the masterful Michael McCabe, these well-done South African radio shows will capture your attention and keep you up listening to them well beyond midnight. Date UnknownA replacement series for SF 68, this South African horror anthology was far more successful than its predecessor. Its success may have been due in part to producer Michael McCabe - who also produced SF 68 - honing his talents to a higher degree. Little else is known about it, including the number of shows produced. As far as I can discover, there were at least 43 episodes, all in half-hour format.

Richard Diamond, Private Detective was a radio show starring Dick Powell which aired from 1949 to 1953, first on NBC, then ABC and finally on CBS. The title character was a rather light-hearted detective who often ended the episodes singing to his girlfriend, Helen. The television series was produced by Powell's company, Four Star Television, and that series ran for 3 years from 1957 to 1960. On TV, David Janssen played the hard boiled private eye and his secretary renamed âSamâ, was only ever shown on camera from the waist down, most assurardidly to display her beautiful legs. It was later leared that the legs belonged to Mary Tyler Moore. Original music by Frank DeVol and pete rugolo and later by richard shores. Good scripts, a solid cast and Powellâs exceptional talent made a good time 30 minute program that was quite popular during that Golden Age of Radio. So Letâs sit back now, relax and enjoy this truly otr radio classic.,â, Dick powell as Richard Diamond.., Private Detective.

Adventure Ahead from 1944 aired Saturdays 10:30 - 11:00 am on NBC and was directed by Joseph Mansfield. Swashbuckling tales to running away with the circus, anything adventurous.THIS EPISODE:A Tooth for Paul Revere (9-09-44)Paul Revere (bap. December 22, 1734 (OS) / January 1, 1735 (NS) â May 10, 1818) was an American silversmith and a patriot in the American Revolution. Because he was immortalized after his death for his role as a messenger in the battles of Lexington and Concord, Revere's name and his "midnight ride" are well-known in the United States as a patriotic symbol. In his lifetime, Revere was a prosperous and prominent Boston craftsman, who helped organize an intelligence and alarm system to keep watch on the British military. Revere later served as an officer in one of the most disastrous campaigns of the American Revolutionary War, a role for which he was later exonerated. After the war, he was early to recognize the potential for large-scale manufacturing of metal.

Damon Runyon Theatre - Broadcast from January to December 1949, "The Damon Runyon Theatre" dramatized 52 of Runyon's short stories for radio. Damon Runyon (October 4, 1884 â December 10, 1946) was a newspaperman and writer. He was best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway in New York City that grew out of the Prohibition era. He spun tales of gamblers, petty thieves, actors and gangsters; few of whom go by "square" names, preferring instead to be known as "Nathan Detroit", "Big Jule", "Harry the Horse", "Good Time Charlie", "Dave the Dude", and so on. These stories were written in a very distinctive vernacular style: a mixture of formal speech and colorful slang, almost always in present tense, and always devoid of contractions.

Stamboul Quest from MGM Theater of The Air aired August 11, 1950 starring Angela Lansbury. During World War One a notorious German spy, on a STAMBOUL QUEST for naval secrets, finds herself falling in love with a most persistent young American. This enjoyable espionage thriller features plenty of romance and a convoluted plot.

Crime Does Not Pay. November 14, 1949. MGM syndication. "Body Of The Crime". Commercials added locally. Sarah and Alma Johnson have disappeared from the Swenson homestead. Norman Williams knows all-too-well what happened to them, but the law seems powerless with the bodies! This was one of the cases that helped to convict Bruno Hauptmann for the murder of the Lindbergh baby, even though the body was not found. The date above is the date of the first broadcast of the program on WMGM, New York, from which this syndicated version may have been taken. Burton B. Turkas (technical advisor), Ira Marion (writer), Jon Gart (music), Marx B. Loeb (director), Parker Fennelly. 27:34.

Dan Garrett, rookie policeman, is secretly the Blue Beetle, friend of the unfortunate and crusader for the law. He is loved by everyone (including the chief's daughter) and suspected of being the Blue Beetle by none. He hides behind a strange mask and wears a blue costume that is as flexible as silk but as strong as steel.

In 1946 the National Broadcasting System created a series of eight half hour radio shows dramatizing the dangers of Atomic Warfare. This was part of an organized effort to turn control of Atomic weapons over to the United Nations so that no individual country would be able to use them.On July 4, 1946 the first program in the The Fifth Horseman series, called "Rehearsal", aired starring Henry Fonda. Written and produced by Arnold Marquis, this program used the recent atomic bomb test at Bikini Atoll to illustrate that atomic weapons are designed to be used on cities, not military targets. Fonda portrays an American POW present during the bombing of Hiroshima. The atomic bombing of that city is portrayed in a short drama. Henry Fonda was the first of several stars who contributed to this series, including William Bendix, Glenn Ford and Robert Young among others. The series ran through the summer.

Lighthouse_Point_Smigglers (Episodes 73-74-75) 1940This juvenile adventure series was first broadcast on Mutual in 1940 with Clayton (Bud) Collyer starring as Superman/Clark Kent. It first began as a fifteen-minute show but later, in 1949, it moved to ABC as a thirty-minute Saturday show with Michael Fitzmaurice as Superman. At the end of its thirteen-year run it had totalled over 1600 episodes. The opening for the show was one of radioâs best, setting the stage for those flights into fantasy with a cascade of voices, narration and sound effects. âFaster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings at a single bound!â âLook! Up in the sky!â âItâs a bird!â âItâs a plane!â âItâs Superman!

Truly THE original adult western and, It was created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. The radio show first aired on April 26, 1952 and ran until June 18, 1961 on the CBS radio network. The series starred William Conrad as Marshal Matt Dillon, Howard McNear as Doc Charles Adams, Georgia Ellis as Kitty Russell, and Parley Baer as Deputy Chester Proudfoot. Doc's first name and Chester's last name were changed for the television program. Gunsmoke was notable for its critically acclaimed cast and writing, and is commonly regarded as THE true adult western and one of the finest old time radio shows. Some listeners (such as old time radio expert John Dunning) have argued that the radio version of Gunsmoke was far more realistic than the television program. Episodes were aimed at adults, and featured some of the most explicit content of the day: there were violent crimes and scalpings, massacres and opium addicts. Miss Kitty's occupation as a prostitute was made far more obvious on the radio version than on television. Many episodes ended on a down-note, and villains often got away with their crimes.

Lights Out was an American old-time radio program featuring "tales of the supernatural and the supernormal." It was immensely popular, and was one of the first horror programs, predating Suspense and Inner Sanctum. In its heydey, Lights Out rivalled the popularity of those shows. Lights Out ran through several series and networks, from January 1, 1934 to August 6, 1947. The principal sponsor was Ironized Yeast. Most episodes were broadcast at midnight. Lights Out then made the transition to television in 1949, where it was broadcast until 1952. Created in Chicago by writer Wyllis Cooper in 1934.

The Whisperer was an American old-time radio show broadcast from July 8 to September 30, 1951 on NBC. It ran for only 13 episodes. The premise of the series was as improbable as its storylines. The protagonist was Philip Gault (Carleton G. Young), a lawyer who, due to some unexplained accident, lost his voice and could only speak in an eerie whisper. Gault infiltrates "the syndicate" in his native Central City to bring down organized crime from within; to the underworld, he becomes known as the Whisperer. Later, his voice is restored through surgery, but he continues to lead a double life as the Whisperer, relaying instructions from the syndicate bosses in New York (who don't know he's a mole) to their lackeys in Central City, whom Gault is actually setting up.

The Sealed Book starred Philip Clarke as the keeper of the book, a croaking, cackling hermit, with knowledge of the black arts, who in each show unlocked the great padlock that kept the sealed book safe from prying eyes. There was a spook story each week with tales of secrets and mysteries of mankind through the ages. This MUTUAL network entry in the horror and mystery genre was far from the best remembered, such as Suspense, Quiet Please, and Inner Sanctum. The Sealed Book begins with a classic intro, in which when gonged, we are escorted by the tuxedoed announcer with unseen organist as the keeper of the book opens the ponderous, albeit squeaky door "to the secret vault wherein is kept the great sealed book, in which is recorded all the secrets and mysteries of mankind through the ages, Here are tales of every kind, tales of murder, of madness, of dark deeds strange and terrible beyond all belief." First broadcast date march 18th 1945. Last broadcast date september 9th 1945. Narrated by Philip Clarke and written by Bob Arthur and David Kogan, this mystery anthology was aired over the MUTUAL network Sunday nights at 10:30 p.m.

First Show: 10-05-47 Last Show: 07-01-49 Number Shows: 78 (39 on NBC, 39 on CBS) Audition Show: none known Series Description: The FORD THEATER, sponsored by the Ford Motor Company, presented hour long dramas first on NBC for one only season. The series moved to CBS for its second and last season. There were 39 NBC and 39 CBS hour- long shows (not verified). The show initially received an unfavorable review from the New York Times for poor script adaptation but was still highly rated for the actors' performance and overall production. The show was supposed to feature only original scripts but had to forgo that plan due to lack of quality material. The first season on NBC used radio actors under the direction of George Zachary. Martin Gabel announced the first show but was soon replaced by Kenneth Banghart. The second season, on CBS, used Hollywood screen actors in the lead roles, supported by radio actors. Fletcher Markle, who previously produced CBS's STUDIO ONE series, was the producer for the second season. Although a short series, it still has some of radio's best dramas.

Lux Radio Theater strove to feature as many of the original stars of the original stage and film productions as possible, usually paying them $5,000 an appearance to do the show. It was when sponsor Lever Brothers (who made Lux soap and detergent) moved the show from New York City to Hollywood in 1936 that it eased back from adapting stage shows and toward adaptations of films. The first Lux film adaptation was The Legionnaire and the Lady, with Marlene Dietrich and Clark Gable, based on the film Morocco. That was followed by a Lux adaptation of The Thin Man, featuring the movie's stars, Myrna Loy and William Powell. Many of the greatest names in film appeared in the series, most in the roles they made famous on the screen, including Abbott and Costello, Lauren Bacall, Lucille Ball, Ingrid Bergman, Humphrey Bogart, Charles Boyer, Claudette Colbert, Gary Cooper, Joseph Cotton, Bing Crosby, Dan Duryea, Ava Gardner, Cary Grant, Bob Hope, Vivien Leigh, Agnes Moorehead, Vincent Price, Donna Reed, Frank Sinatra, Ann Sothern, Barbara Stanwyck, James Stewart, Gene Tierney, John Wayne, Jane Wyman, Orson Welles and Loretta Young.

The Phyl Coe Mysteries was a syndicated radio series that came out in 1936, with the lead character's name designed to reflect the sponsor, Philco Radio Tubes. PHYL (short for Phyllis) COE is described as the "beautiful girl detective". She was a private investigator who was smart, aggressive, and a "take-charge" lady. In one episode where a magician is shot on stage, Phyl, who is attending the performance, with her boy friend, leaps to the stage, barks orders to theatre personnel, and solves the crime before the cops even get there. In other mysteries, she identifies the thief of a famous painting, solves the mystery involving a new death-ray gun, and solves a murder aboard an aeroplane. Cast and crew have not yet been identified. None of the solutions to each episode appear in it, since the original listeners were supposed to send in their answers to Philco and win cash prizes. About 12 episodes are known to be in circulation. At the heigth of its popularity about 250 radio stations throughout the U.S. were airing this 15 program. The contest was run by Geare-Marston, Inc of Philadelphia.

You Can't Do Business with Hitler, based on the experiences of Douglas Miller, who was for 15 years commercial attachà to the American Embassy in Berlin. Douglas Miller reveals the NAZI technique of plundering and looting conquered lands. This transcribed program written by Elwood Hoffman and directed by Frank Telford was brought to you by the Radio Section of the Office for Emergency Management in Washington.

Abbott and Costello William (Bud) Abbott and Lou Costello (born Louis Francis Cristillo) were an American comedy duo whose work in radio, film and television made them one of the most popular teams in the history of comedy. Thanks to the endurance of their most popular and influential routine, "Who's on First?"---whose rapid-fire word play and comprehension confusion set the preponderant framework for most of their best-known routines---the team are also the only comedians known to have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Bud Abbott was born in Asbury Park, NJ, October 2, 1897 and died April 24, 1974 in Woodland Hills, California. Lou Costello was born in Paterson, NJ, March 6, 1906 and died March 3, 1959 in East Los Angeles, California. After working as Allen's summer replacement, Abbott and Costello joined Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy on The Chase and Sanborn Hour in 1941, while two of their films (Buck Privates and Hold That Ghost) were adapted for Lux Radio Theater. They launched their own weekly show October 8, 1942, sponsored by Camel cigarettes. The Abbott and Costello Show mixed comedy with musical interludes (usually, by singers such as Connie Haines, Marilyn Maxwell, the Delta Rhythm Boys, Skinnay Ennis, and the Les Baxter Singers). Regulars and semi-regulars on the show included Artie Auerbrook, Elvia Allman, Iris Adrian, Mel Blanc, Wally Brown, Sharon Douglas, Verna Felton, Sidney Fields, Frank Nelson, Martha Wentworth, and Benay Venuta. Ken Niles was the show's longtime announcer, doubling as an exasperated foil to Abbott & Costello's mishaps (and often fuming in character as Costello insulted his on-air wife routinely); he was succeeded by Michael Roy, with annoncing chores also handled over the years by Frank Bingman and Jim Doyle. The show went through several orchestras during its radio life, including those of Ennis, Charles Hoff, Matty Matlock, Jack Meaking, Will Osborne, Freddie Rich, Leith Stevens, and Peter van Steeden.

Inner Sanctum Mysteries was a popular old-time radio program that aired from January 7, 1941 to October 5, 1952. Created by Himan Brown, the anthology series featured stories of mystery, terror and suspense. The tongue-in-cheek introductions were in sharp contrast to shows like Suspense and The Whistler. A total of 526 episodes are known to have been produced. The early 1940s programs opened with Raymond Edward Johnson introducing himself as, "Your host, Raymond," in a mocking sardonic voice. A spooky melodramatic organ score punctuated Raymond's many morbid jokes and playful puns. Raymond's closing was an elongated "Pleasant dreaaaaammmmssss!" His tongue-in-cheek style and ghoulish relish of his own tales became the standard for many such horror narrators to follow, from fellow radio hosts like Ernest Chappell (on Cooper's later series, Quiet, Please) and Maurice Taupin (on The Mysterious Traveler) to the Crypt-Keeper in various incarnations of Tales from the Crypt.

Danger With Granger arrived too late in the Golden Age of Radio to have any real impact on the listening public. Mutual aired this show, starting in 1956, on Monday nights at 8:30 pm. It was a half hour show that featured a private eye in New York City, STEVE GRANGER. His two primary companions were Cal Hendrix, a reporter who served as an all-purpose source of criminal info, and Jake Rankin, a police detective with whom he had a grudging rivalry. The writing on the show seemed to incorporate most of the standard cliche's of the P.I. world. Granger, who was both the star and the first-person narrator of the show (not an uncommon practice with radio gumshoes), never saw a woman, instead "he gave the doll the once-over." He didn't kick with his foot, he "lifted a size 10." Instead of paying cash, he "forked over numbered lettuce."

Tuska cited Ellery Queen, Master Detective (1940) and Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery (1941) as the best of the Bellamy-Lindsay pairings. "The influence of The Thin Man series was apparent in reverse", Tuska noted about Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery. "Ellery and Nikki are unmarried but obviously in love with each other. Probably the biggest mystery... is how Ellery ever gets a book written. Not only is Nikki attractive and perfectly willing to show off her figure", Tuska wrote, "but she also likes to write her own stories on Queen's time, and gets carried away doing her own investigations." In Ellery Queen, Master Detective, "the amorous relationship between Ellery and Nikki Porter was given a dignity, and therefore integrity", Tuska wrote, "that was lacking in the two previous entries in the series", made at Republic Pictures before Bellamy and Lindsay were signed by Columbia.

Arch Oboler's Plays was a radio drama series written, produced and directed by Arch Oboler. Minus a sponsor, it ran for one year, airing Saturday evenings on NBC from March 25, 1939 to March 23, 1940 and revived five years later on Mutual for a sustaining summer run from April 5, 1945 to October 11, 1945. Leading film actors were heard on this series, including Gloria Blondell, Eddie Cantor, James Cagney, Ronald Colman, Joan Crawford, Greer Garson, Edmund Gwenn, Van Heflin, Katharine Hepburn, Elsa Lanchester, Peter Lorre, Frank Lovejoy, Raymond Massey, Burgess Meredith, Paul Muni, Alla Nazimova, Edmond O'Brien, Geraldine Page, Gale Sondergaard, Franchot Tone and George Zucco.

Maisie, the first in 1939, was from the book "Dark Dame" by the writer Wilson Collison,who did decades of scripting for the silver screen along with Broadway plays and magazine fiction. From the first, MGM wanted Ann Sothern to play Maisie. She began in Hollywood as an extra in 1927. "Maisie and I were just together - I just understood her," Sothern, born Harriette Arlene Lake, said after several of the films made her a star. Throughout the 1930s and '40s, Ann Sothern and Lucille Ball, like many performers in Hollywood, had not one but two careers - one in motion pictures and one on radio. MGM Studios had created the series of ten motion pictures based on a brash blonde with a heart "of spun gold." Maisie, the first in 1939, was from the book "Dark Dame" by the writer Wilson Collison, who did decades of scripting for the silver screen along with Broadway plays and magazine fiction.

'Dick Barton Special Agent!' followed by the fast and furious signature tune. The serial was broadcast in 15 minute episodes, Monday to Friday at 6:45pm. Each story spanned 2-4 weeks. Luckily it was broadcast on the very powerful Light Programme so I could even listen on a 1920's crystal set. On a Saturday at 11:00 am. there was a full hour of Barton. This was called an omnibus edition and consisted of the previous week's episodes linked into one long program.

Philo Vance was the detective creation of S. S. Van Dine first published in the mid 1920s. Vance, in the original books, is an intellectual so highly refined he seems he might be ghostwritten by P. G. Wodehouse. Take this quote from The Benson Murder Case, 1924, as Vance pontificates in his inimitable way: "That's your fundamental error, don't y' know. Every crime is witnessed by outsiders, just as is every work of art. The fact that no one sees the criminal, or the artist, actu'lly at work, is wholly incons'quential." Thankfully, the radio series uses only the name, and makes Philo a pretty normal, though very intelligent and extremely courteous gumshoe. Jose Ferrer played him in 1945. From 1948-1950, the fine radio actor Jackson Beck makes Vance as good as he gets. George Petrie plays Vance's constantly impressed public servant, District Attorney Markham. Joan Alexander is Ellen Deering, Vance's secretary and right-hand woman. The organist for the show is really working those ivories, and fans of old time radio organ will especially enjoy this series. Perhaps one reason the organist "pulls out all the stops" is because there seems to be little, if any, sound effects on the show. Philo Vance, the radio series, does pay homage to the original books in that both were, even in their own time, a bit out of date and stilted. (OTRR)